Who We Are

Diadem International.

– Staff Team

Lesley-Anne Leighton

Lesley-Anne holds a Bachelor of Ministries and Master of Theological Studies (Tyndale Graduate School of Theology, Aotearoa, New Zealand) and is currently completing a PhD in Professional Practice with the Oxford Centre for Mission in UK. She is ordained with Iris Ministries. Coupling her extensive missionary experience with her educational background, she marries sound theology with practicality and teaches missions with great effectiveness. Most importantly, Lesley-Anne imparts all that she has received from the Lord without holding back – allowing her ceiling to be the floor on which future missionaries will be launched, and propelled to simply love Jesus more and express that love in the way they live for Him.

She set up Diadem International in 1994, initially as a humanitarian charity providing medicine for hospitals and Bibles for Christians in the Russian Federation, but which has since grown to encompass other ministries such as local church planting, a leadership discipleship school, missions practice programs and ministry with the poor.

In February 2005 Lesley-Anne founded and established Holy Given International School of Missions with the purpose of training a new generation of missionaries.

Lesley-Anne also speaks extensively in conferences, ministering with marketplace people and university students all over the world.

Amanda Rogers

Personal Assistant to Lesley-Anne Leighton, Administration

Amanda Rogers was born and bred in New Zealand and has been nursing for over 20 years, mainly in Child Health. She has lived, worked with and alongside at-risk youth and families since she was in her teens. She graduated with Bachelor of Ministries from Bible College of NZ (now named Laidlaw College) in 1999, and graduated from Holy Given International School of Missions in 2005, in Pemba Mozambique.

More recently she has been involved in equipping others through healing groups and missionary training. She continues in part-time nursing and works as executive assistant to Lesley Anne Leighton, Director: Diadem International. Amanda continues to be passionate for those struggling in poverty and oppression and loves to see the transformation of the Kingdom of God in their lives and communities.

Kevin & Shirley Barclay

US Board Members & Diadem Document Manager

Kelvin and Shirley have been married for 13 years and live in the Akatarawa Valley in the Wellington region, New Zealand. Kelvin is a professional engineer, and Shirley has a background in teaching.

In recent years, Shirley’s journey of teaching has led her through taking up the mantle of being the principal of a Christian school, facilitating co-operative learning among homeschooled students and completing a Bachelor of Education.

Shirley brings her administrative and educational experience to Diadem International in supporting the educational thrust of Holy Given Schools. She assisted Lesley-Anne as she developed the initial curriculum and now supports the ongoing development of the programme. As God initiates Holy Given schools across the globe, Shirley maintains a central document library that can be drawn on from almost anywhere in the world (Such is a blessing of modern technology!)

Kelvin and Shirley both serve on the Board of Diadem International.

WanHsi Yeong

Administration

Paul Leighton

Staff

Holy Given School Faculty/Staff & Guest Speakers.

– Faculty/Staff

Lesley-Anne Leighton

Founder & Director

Amanda Rogers

Personal Assistant to Lesley-Anne Leighton, Administration

Kevin & Shirley Barclay

US Board Members & Diadem Document Manager

Jonathan & Lydia Haines

HG Staff

Paula O’Keefe

Director of HG Armavir Int’l School of Missions

Weymond & Gill Fong

HG Staff

WanHsi Yeong

Administration

Paul Leighton

HG Staff

Biographies of HG Faculty/Staff

Lesley-Anne Leighton

Lesley-Anne holds a Bachelor of Ministries and Master of Theological Studies (Tyndale Graduate School of Theology, Aotearoa, New Zealand) and is currently completing a PhD in Professional Practice with the Oxford Centre for Mission in UK. She is ordained with Iris Ministries. Coupling her extensive missionary experience with her educational background, she marries sound theology with practicality and teaches missions with great effectiveness. Most importantly, Lesley-Anne imparts all that she has received from the Lord without holding back – allowing her ceiling to be the floor on which future missionaries will be launched, and propelled to simply love Jesus more and express that love in the way they live for Him.

She set up Diadem International in 1994, initially as a humanitarian charity providing medicine for hospitals and Bibles for Christians in the Russian Federation, but which has since grown to encompass other ministries such as local church planting, a leadership discipleship school, missions practice programs and ministry with the poor.

In February 2005 Lesley-Anne founded and established Holy Given International School of Missions with the purpose of training a new generation of missionaries.

Lesley-Anne also speaks extensively in conferences, ministering with marketplace people and university students all over the world.

Amanda Rogers

Amanda Rogers was born and bred in New Zealand and has been nursing for over 20 years, mainly in Child Health. She has lived, worked with and alongside at-risk youth and families since she was in her teens. She graduated with Bachelor of Ministries from Bible College of NZ (now named Laidlaw College) in 1999, and graduated from Holy Given International School of Missions in 2005, in Pemba Mozambique.

More recently she has been involved in equipping others through healing groups and missionary training. She continues in part-time nursing and works as executive assistant to Lesley Anne Leighton, Director: Diadem International. Amanda continues to be passionate for those struggling in poverty and oppression and loves to see the transformation of the Kingdom of God in their lives and communities.

Kevin & Shirley Barclay

Kelvin and Shirley have been married for 13 years and live in the Akatarawa Valley in the Wellington region, New Zealand. Kelvin is a professional engineer, and Shirley has a background in teaching.

In recent years, Shirley’s journey of teaching has led her through taking up the mantle of being the principal of a Christian school, facilitating co-operative learning among homeschooled students and completing a Bachelor of Education.

Shirley brings her administrative and educational experience to Diadem International in supporting the educational thrust of Holy Given Schools. She assisted Lesley-Anne as she developed the initial curriculum and now supports the ongoing development of the program. As God initiates Holy Given schools across the globe, Shirley maintains a central document library that can be drawn on from almost anywhere in the world (Such is a blessing of modern technology!)

Kelvin and Shirley both serve on the Board of Diadem International.

Jonathan & Lydia Haines

Jon & Lydia have been married for nearly 10 years and live in Leeds, UK. They are both qualified lawyers. Lydia is currently leading a cross denomination ministry working with women at risk of or exploited by prostitution. Before that she worked for an international human rights NGO. Jon works in legal education. They both have years of experience pastoring and working with the poor. They completed Holy Given in December 2006 in Mozambique and are studying for MA’s in Theology & Ministry with Durham University.

Paula O’Keefe

Paula O’Keefe is a British Psychologist and teacher who has been living in Southern Russia since 1993. In the early 1990’s she was involved in evangelism in orphanages, hospitals and on the streets as well as in church planting in unreached villages. She then moved to a war zone in a Muslim Republic where she pastored a local church there for a year and a half, and was involved in refugee camps, distributing food, clothes and medicines, and doing evangelism and prayer ministry with traumatised war victims.

She is the Founding Director of Living Waters Healing Centre in Armavir, Southern Russia. Living Waters is involved in Evangelism, Church Planting, Missionary Training, 24/7 Prayer, Trauma Counseling and Prayer Ministry. Living Waters works especially amongst those in unreached people groups in the region who have been traumatised by war and terrorism (including children who were held hostage in the school hostage tragedy in Beslan in September 2004). In Living Waters’ 5 years of ministry, we have seen thousands of hurting people receive physical, emotional and spiritual healing. Paula is single and has 3 ex-street children who live with her.

Weymond & Gill Fong

Weymond and Gill Fong have been married for 30 years and have two daughters, Jessie and Stephanie. They lived in Hong Kong for 10 years helping in a ministry with drug addicts and the poor, and have a desire to see Christians equipped for ministry and mission and to see communities transformed by the Kingdom of God. They particularly love to see those who are affected by poverty come into a relationship with Jesus and receive practical on-going support.

Weymond is a New Zealand born Chinese and presently teaches High School Mathematics and since returning from Hong Kong, he and Gill have been on a number of trips to minister in churches in Asia.

Weymond and Gill fellowship at North City Vineyard Church in Auckland, New Zealand.

Holy Given School Faculty/Staff & Guest Speakers.

– Guest Speakers

Mel Tari

Cindy Ruakere

Biographies of Guest Speakers

Mel Tari, world known evangelist and missionary from Timor, Indonesia, is an eyewitness of some of the greatest miracles to occur in the twentieth century. Mel has witnessed the dead raised, water turned into wine, healing from all kinds of diseases (the blind see, the crippled walk, the deaf hear, the dumb speak, leprosy, cancer, etc.) and millions that have come to know Jesus all over the world in the last four decades.

He’s the author of the best selling book, “Like a Mighty Wind,” which tells about the great move of the Holy Spirit in Asia beginning in 1965. It has been translated into more than 40 languages and millions of copies have been sold.

Mel is also the author of the books, “The Gentle Breeze of Jesus,” “America, Jesus is here,” and “The Kingdom”.

Mel’s message of simple and child-like faith in the Word of God and the reality of the power of the Holy Spirit today will inspire you to know Jesus better.

Cindy Ruakere, a New Zealand Christian Itinerant Worship Leader, Speaker and Prophet whose passion is to encourage people into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. Ruakere embodies the pioneering spirit of New Zealand and through her worship and songs encourages us to “Press On” into the things God has for us.

Philippians 3 v 12-14
“It’s not that I have already reached the goal or have already completed the course. But I run to win that which Jesus Christ has already won for me. Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do; I don’t look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus”

Cindy Ruakere has been a true forerunner for the Christian itinerant ministry in New Zealand. Cindy describes her mission in life as firstly, to passionately follow her Lord Jesus Christ with all her heart and body and spirit. Secondly, to help motivate people to find their destiny in Christ.

Cindy Ruakere is based at Edge City Church Auckland, New Zealand under the leadership of Greg and Linda Burson. Cindy Ruakere is a spiritual pioneer in worship and warfare in New Zealand and working within the team dynamic, is gifted at helping to build and establish apostolically in New Zealand.

Ruakere’s passion in worship inspires other to connect with God. “Worship allows people to touch God like nothing else can, she said.

Ruakere has a strong national and international itinerant ministry. Not only does she have a passion for Aotearoa/New Zealand but she also carries the pioneering heart of New Zealand overseas wherever she ministers.

As a worship leader, song writer and speaker, Cindy Ruakere brings a range of gifts to encourage and motivate the Church, whether she is speaking at a women’s conference, ministering at a worship event, communicating to youth at camps or preaching at a Sunday Service, Ruakere is passionate about serving the Church world-wide.

Ruakere has toured the world extensively over the last 14 years ministering and performing in Central Asia, Europe, UK, Asia, the Pacific, USA, South America, Africa, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Israel and Russia.

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Events/Itinerary

July 2015

More updates to come soon!

Holy Given Schools

No HG schools for 2015.
To be updated soon!

News Flash

See our updates about our friends from Leyte, Philippines and our ongoing work with our partners in Pakistan!